Regular Columnists

Artist: Christina Ray
Album: Who I Wanna Be
Website: http://www.christina-ray.com
Genre: A mix of country, pop, & adult contemporary
Technical Grade: 6/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 6/10
Commercial Value: 4/10
Overall Talent Level: 5/10
Songwriting Skills: 4/10
Performance Skill: 5/10
Best Songs: Those Wrangler Jeans, Heart, Just Say No!, Three Don't Make a Pair
Weakness: Songwriting and vocals are uneven
CD Review: There's some cool stuff on this disc, Who I Wanna Be, by singer/songwriter Christina Ray.  The highlights are "Those Wrangler Jeans", a good ol' country romp, and "Three Don't Make a Pair", a "caught cheating" song featuring some neat wordplay.  Ms. Ray shows some flashes of brilliance in both her writing and her singing, and the musicians are pretty tight, for the most part.  The drawback is that both the writing and the singing are a bit uneven; strong in spots and, unfortunately, equally weak in other spots.  There are too many lines that seem cobbled on in an effort to make a rhyme, not a point.  Her lyrics have a tendency at times to wander, leaving the listener to wonder just exactly what she's trying to say.

The album does showcase her versatility; she writes equally well in different genres.  This is a woman who is going to make a great album someday - this one is good, but it won't blow you away.